T4-monotherapy
-
REVIEW: 2018 study of hormone status on L-T4 monotherapy
Another great study by McAninch and colleagues, from Antonio Bianco’s lab, has been published in a leading endocrinology journal, The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. The study was announced and summarized in this press release titled “Standard Hypothyroidism Treatment Falling Short.” Let’s hope the endocrinology community will listen and think twice about whether its…
-
History of the three thyroid medications
Three thyroid hormone medications have had a long history of effective use. I discuss them in chronological order, from the earliest thyroid medication to the most recently invented. No new thyroid medications have been invented since the 1950s, although all three of them have been further refined, and various manufacturers exist for each of them.…
-
Why T4 monotherapy has dominated
All thyroid hormone medications have the potential to be effective: L-T4 (Levothyroxine), L-T3 (Liothyronine), and natural desiccated thyroid (DTE / NDT). However, each patient is unique in their response to these medications. Optimizing a patient’s lifelong therapy involves finding the right thyroid hormone medication, or a combination of them, to relieve as many symptoms of…
-
All thyroid therapy is artificial
If you prefer natural desiccated thyroid (NDT / DTE) over synthetic thyroid hormone I know you might bristle at my word “artificial.” Animal-derived vs. synthesized — that’s not an argument I get into here. What I argue here is that at a more fundamental level, taking any ORAL thyroid hormone is NOT the same as…
-
IMAGE: Thyroid patients on L-T4 therapy
For hypothyroid patients taking medication, TSH is not sufficient as a guide. The medication we take will always be different from a healthy thyroid gland. The red lines and shapes are thyroid patients on standard “L-T4 monotherapy” (i.e. Synthroid, Levothyroxine, or Eltroxin). This form of therapy gives us excess T4 and less T3 hormone. T3…